Forgotten God: Will Work for Change
Romans 8:1-17
Pastor Steve began the series, Forgotten God, three Sundays ago. He pointed out that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a Person. That the Holy Spirit is God, just as our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ are God. All three are the same one God.
Many of us, if we were to voice our thoughts, might ask, "How could one God exist as three Persons, Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?" We might rationalize, "Maybe they're three forms or names for the same God?" That's not what the Bible reveals.
Here's a question: Can plants breathe carbon dioxide while we breathe oxygen? Of course. Here's another question: Can insects have their skeleton on the outside while our skeleton is on the inside? Of course.
Why? Because plants are not human. And insects are not human. But we expect God to be human. So we have trouble with one God existing in three Persons.
Pastor Steve's second message was, "Forgotten God: Be Filled." We are not to ignore the Holy Spirit. We are to be immersed by the Holy Spirit. When this happens, we grow in our closeness to God and in the character of God.
Last Sunday, Pastor Steve's third message was, "Forgotten God: Stop Grieving." God is a Person, and He has emotions. And the Bible identifies what grieves God, and what pleases God. You can read that in Ephesians 4:25-5:2.
This morning, we conclude our series, "Forgotten God: Will Work for Change." It's not what you think; it's a play on words. The Holy Spirit's work is to change us. Those who put our faith in the forgiveness and love Jesus Christ will never be the same.
Charles Bradlaugh, the famous English atheist, once challenged the Rev. H. P. Hughes to a debate. Rev. Hughes accepted the challenge with the condition that he could bring with him 100 men and women who would tell what had happened in their lives since trusting Christ as their Savior. They would be people who once lived in deep sin. Hughes said they would not only tell of their conversion, but would submit to cross-examination by any who doubted their stories. Then Rev Hughes invited his opponent to bring a group of non-believers who could tell how they were helped by their lack of faith.
When the appointed day arrived, Rev. Hughes came, accompanied by 100 transformed persons. But Bradlaugh never showed up. The meeting turned into a testimony time and many who had gathered to hear the debate put their faith in Jesus. The change those 100 people experienced was the work of the Holy Spirit.
There is a component of mystery in how the Holy Spirit brings change into a believer's life. Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, "[Continue] to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." So we have a part and God has a part in our transformation.
Our text this morning helps us to understand a little bit more of what, how and why the Holy Spirit works to change the believer. Our text is Romans 8:1-17. (READ)
The Holy Spirit is described in a number of ways in this passage: The Spirit of life. The Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of God. The Spirit of sonship. What we will look at is specific to what, how and why the Holy Spirit helps us change.
First, the Holy Spirit gives us a new desire. Vs. 1-8.
Romans 8:1-8 tells us that our lives were once driven by sin, fear and guilt. But after we trusted Jesus' death on the cross as payment for the penalty of our sins, we are now driven to please God. That's the new desire that motivates us to live differently.
When some friends dared Jill Briscoe to stay out later than her curfew, she refused. Her friends asked, “Are you afraid of your father?” To which Jill replied, “No, I’m afraid that I’ll hurt my father, who loves me dearly.”
Sin is attractive and often feels good, at least temporarily. But as our experience of God’s love grows, sin’s attractiveness fades. And the desire to please God increases.
Here's another story of the Holy Spirit bringing change in a Christian's life. A young girl accepted Christ as her Savior applied for membership in a local church. The Pastor asked, "Were you a sinner before you received the Lord Jesus into your Life?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Well, are you still a sinner?"
"To tell you the truth, I feel I'm a greater sinner than ever."
"Then what real change have you experienced?" asked the Pastor.
"I don't quite know how to explain it," she said, "except I used to run after sin, but now I run away from sin."
Most Christians think that the new desire should overwhelm wrong desires. But the truth is, the new desire makes the intensity of struggle with temptation even greater. If we don't have the desire to please God, we would not struggle with temptation. We would give into sin without a thought.
So our struggle with temptation is an indication that the Holy Spirit has given us a new desire. The desire to please God. That's what the Holy Spirit changes in us.
Second, the Holy Spirit gives us a new help. Vs. 9-13.
The Bible contains the wisdom of the ages, but Christianity is not a self-help religion. Overcoming sin is too serious for self-treatment. If the problem weren’t serious, God could have sent a book, teacher, or a personal development program.
Instead, God came in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Then God sent His Holy Spirit to live in us to help us live the new life. Christianity is a God-help relationship.
Think about the last time we failed to please God in our thought, speech or action. We might have tried to do it on our own strength. Or we blocked out God's presence or help from our mind, because we wanted enjoy the sinful thought, speech or action.
Jude wrote, “To [Jesus] who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy (Jude 1:24).” How does Jesus keep us from stumbling and present us without fault? His Spirit lives in us to help.
Someone tells about a little walking home from Church. She asked her Dad, “How tall was Jesus?”
To which her Dad replied, “I imagine he was between five and six feet tall.”
Then came, “Oh, then he won’t fit.”
“What do you mean?” asked the Dad.
“Well, I invited Jesus into my heart today. He’s going to stick out.”
Letting Jesus' Spirit stick out of us is another way of saying letting Jesus' Spirit change us from the inside out. What is our part? If we want to change into the likeness of Jesus, we must want His presence and help in our lives.
Third, the Holy Spirit gives us a new relationship. Vs. 14-17.
How do you relate to God? God is Creator. God is Law-giver. Or, God is Judge. If we relate to God this way, we will experience fear and condemnation. Why? Because we all fall short of God’s intention and standard.
Romans 8:15-16 tells us, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.”
Watchman Nee tells about a Christian who came in deep distress to see his pastor. The Christian said, “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation.”
The pastor said, “Do you see my dog here? He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have my son, my baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit [all I have]? Not my dog; my son is my heir.”
Religion makes us a dog to God. The Holy Spirit makes us a child of God. No longer a slave to the fear of judgment, but a son to our Father in Heaven. The Holy Spirit gives us a new relationship with God.
Before I became a Christian, I thought God was like the video camera at a Seven-Eleven store. Waiting to catch me doing something wrong. After becoming a Christian for a number of years, I saw God like the video camera held by a proud father. Waiting to catch me doing something well.
But the longer His Spirit lives in me, the more I realize God isn’t waiting for me to perform at all. In fact, God isn’t even holding a camera. He is holding me.
